


Captivated by the Hunter

by tbhserena



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Angst, Confusion, Demon Hunters, M/M, Miscommunication, demon hunting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-18
Updated: 2018-04-02
Packaged: 2018-10-06 22:20:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 18,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10345764
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tbhserena/pseuds/tbhserena
Summary: Dipper Pines has grown up and he's back in Gravity Falls as a demon hunter. He has been working side by side with his twin sister, Mabel Pines in order to rid Gravity Falls of all its evils, but what happens when something goes wrong in the process of trying to get rid of infamous Bill Cipher?





	1. Chapter 1

Dipper was cornered. Two burly men with pure black eyes approached him, backing him into the wall. The male had to think fast. He was never this unprepared for a demon attack, always keeping some holy water or at least a bit of salt on his person. Anything to assist him in a situation much like the one he was currently in. His eyes shifted from left to right, desperately searching for something to get him out of the sticky situation. He immediately spotted a beer bottle, hardly thinking twice before retrieving it in one swift move from the floor. He smashed it against the wall and pointed it towards the two males. “Stay back!” he threatened, taking a step forward. The two menacing men chuckled mockingly, knowing very well the broken glass was no match for them. Nonetheless, Dipper was determined to get rid of the men. He lunged forward, slashing the glass along the cheek of one demon. The demon stumbled back, mostly out of pure shock, and Dipper took the chance to charge. He ran to the kitchen, searching for a simple salt shaker, knocking things over when Mabel finally barged through the kitchen door. 

“Get ready to meet your sorry end, demons!” she shrieked, running through the kitchen to the already approaching fiends. It was apparent that she’d shocked them with her sudden appearance. Using that to her advantage, she stabbed one right through the chest with a demon-killing knife. The perfect silver knife brought the demon to it’s demise, putting Mabel on edge as she felt the other black-eyed male charge her way. It was Dipper’s cue to come running in, tossing salt the demon’s way. The man cried out as his skin burned, averting his focus from Mabel to his now bubbling skin. In that moment, Mabel was able to launch at him, piercing him through the back and eliminating him for good. Both twins stood there, breathless and disoriented. Their eyes met and Dipper offered Mabel a smirk.

“It’s amazing how perfect that timing was. How’d you know I needed your help anyway?” Dipper cocked his head to the side, curious.

“Twin-telepathy my dear brother,” she smiled. After all those years with braces, Mabel had achieved perfectly straight, pearly whites. Dipper snorted, rolling his eyes.

“I doubt it, but I guess I’ll take what I can get,” he chuckled softly. 

“What’s with the lack of ammo?” Mabel asked, cleaning off her knife with one of fallen male’s shirts. She slipped it into her belt and looked back up at Dipper. 

“I-I wasn’t exactly…expecting this to happen,” he shrugged, averting his eyes. 

“Of course you weren’t! Demon attacks don’t come with a week’s notice! They just happen, Dip,” she nudged him in the side. “Besides, what in the world could’ve made you so unprepared?”  
Dipper sighed, thinking back to what he’d been doing before the attack. He’d been sitting at the cash register in the Mystery Shack, scribbling new information in attempt to continue Ford’s journals. It was something he did most days––other than demon hunting of course. He’d let his guard down when a strange man asked him to help unload his car. Of course, in doing so, Dipper ended up in the trunk of said man’s car and now to this strange location. 

“I knew I’d be hunting demons, but I never really expected a demon to hunt me,” he sighed, looking to Mabel. 

“It was kind of inevitable, Dip. Now let’s go. This abandoned restaurant gives me the major creeps,” she shivered, turning to walk out the front door. Dipper had escaped back to Gravity Falls when he decided to take a gap year before college. His original intention was to take a break from everything and maybe work on some things with Ford, but that was the opposite of what happened. After a while, he'd discovered that demons had begun to find their way around Gravity Falls, possessing bodies and wreaking havoc. Before Dipper knew it, he was hunting demons and writing loads of information down in a journal––much like his Great Uncle Ford. After Dipper had grown accustom to hunting demons, he stumbled upon stronger ones. Figuring he couldn't always work alone, he got some help from Mabel. He taught her the ropes and it was safe to say she caught on quickly.  
The twins moved out of the dusty old restaurant that'd been left untouched for what looked like years. 

"You've got to get cleaned up quick. Wendy's party is in an hour and I don't think she'll appreciate the rips and dirt on your shirt," Mabel spoke matter-of-factly.

"I don't think she would mind. I think it's you that would mind," Dipper raised a brow at his sister. Nonetheless he booked it to Mabel's little, baby blue bug. He slid into the passenger seat and buckled up. 

***

Dipper had cleaned up nicely. He'd showered and slipped into a crisp white button up and some black lacks. He attempted to fix up his hair despite the fact that it was a lost cause. It still flopped on his head to cover up his birth mark, but at least it wasn't indented where his hat would normally be. They finally set out on their journey to Wendy’s long-awaited party. It was very unlike her to do something semi-formal, but she decided on it after she landed the job she’d been wanting for just about as long as Dipper had been back in Gravity Falls. Dipper and Mabel pulled up to Wendy's house, the street already packed with cars. Mabel managed to squeeze her car into a spot before they made their way up to the door, ringing the doorbell. It only took a few seconds before Wendy pulled the door open and greeted them with a smile. 

"What's up, dudes? Welcome to my humble abode," she smiled, stepping aside to let them in. She had on a simple black dress with some shiny black combat boots and her hair pulled to one side. Behind her was a whole mass of people talking and laughing and a few dancing to the music that blared through the speakers.

"You look nice, Wendy," Mabel smiled.

"Yeah, well I decided since I got a job and all, semi-formal just kind of felt symbolic," she laughed, ushering them inside. 

Dipper scanned the room for people he knew. There were familiar faces scattered around, but none he was very close with, seeing as the time he spent in Gravity Falls was occupied with fighting demons. While Mabel had no trouble chatting up the whole party, Dipper laid back against the wall, sipping on a soda he had picked up from a cooler. He watched as Wendy made her way over to him. 

"You know you could just grab a beer or something right? I mean I'm sure as hell not gonna say anything and no one's looking," she smirked, nudging Dipper in the side.

"Oh, ah no thanks. I don't drink very often. Plus I-I haven't eaten or anything," he shifted his eyes away. Of course Dipper didn't want to admit he was a lightweight. He'd only be filling his stereotype: geek who can't hold his alcohol. 

"Oh c'mon, Dip. Live a little. You're going to need it to toast in a minute anyway. I'm about to make everyone drink to my success. How cool is that?" she smirked, already digging in the cooler for a beer can.

"Pretty cool," he admitted, scratching the back of his neck nervously. She handed him the can and he took it hesitantly. 

"It's not gonna bite. Just take it," she smiled, placing it in his hand.

"Thanks," he sighed, holding the cold can close to his chest.

"Sure thing. I'll be right back. I’d better get those toasts happening before you decide do ditch the beer," she smirked, running in front of the mass of people mingling. She cleared her throat and opened her mouth to yell. 

"Hey! Everyone! I wanna make a toast!" she called. "To––"

Dipper could have sworn the room dropped a significant amount of degrees in temperature. He began to shiver and exhaled deeply. His breath came in a fog in front of his face, confirming the cooler atmosphere. 

"Hey did it get colder in here or wh––" Wendy started with a smirk, but was stopped abruptly. Her eyes got wide and she froze, her beer can still raised. Her smirk was immediately wiped off her face and she stood there for a moment as if she was a statue that would easily break to pieces if tipped over. Finally she opened her mouth to speak, but what came out wasn't her voice.

"I'm back nerds!" she sneered. The warped voice that passed her lips was unmistakeable. Dipper dropped his unopened can to the floor. It exploded open, bringing the figure’s attention to him. 

"Pine tree! Funny meeting you here! Did you miss me?" it spoke with eyes narrowed.

"Bill Cipher..." Dipper gasped, mouth hanging open. 

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Big shocker, I possessed your girlfriend's body and I'm ruining her party," Bill rolled his eyes. 

"She's not my girlfriend!" Dipper retorted before he shook his head and furrowed his eyebrows. "Augh! That's not the point! What do you want from me, Cipher?" Dipper growled, taking a step closer. Bill tapped his chin as if he was thinking of why he might have possibly ended up in someone else's body.

“Oh I don’t know…it might have something to do with the fact that you've been wiping out all of my buddies!" he growled. 

“Wait…y-you were the one who sent those demons today! You sent them after me, didn’t you?” the brunette accused, pointing a finger at Wendy's possessed body.

"How'd you guess?" Bill asked flatly as if it might have been the most obvious idea Dipper could've had. 

“Well…to be honest, it wasn’t very hard to guess. I just needed to stall," Dipper shrugged. 

"Wha––" Bill started, but Mabel was already pulling possessed Wendy's hands behind her back, tying them up and pushing her body onto a chair.

"I can't believe how easy that was. You're weak, Cipher," Dipper cocked his head to the side approaching the demon. 

"You're much sharper, Pine Tree," Bill growled, struggling to move from the tight confines of the rope. 

"What's wrong?" Dipper furrowed his eyebrows in mock concern. 

"I-I can't...my powers won't let me..." he squirmed in his seat.

"Yeah, I figured a demon's trap would do that," the brunette winked.

"I'm warning you, Pine Tree," the demon threatened. 

"Don't worry, by the time I'm done with you, I won't have to worry about any of your petty threats," Dipper spat. He looked around at the crowd of people, each fighting between confusion and fear. "Um...you might want to scram," the hunter scratched the back of his neck. Upon his suggestion, many hurried to the door. The house emptied quickly and Dipper turned back to Bill. A flurry of Latin words spilled from his lips, attempting to exorcise Bill from Wendy's body.

"W-What are you doing? No! Stop!" Bill protested, but Dipper only continued with a louder voice. He was performing the exorcism by memory. Once again he'd been unprepared, but never before had demons taken him by surprise, so he wasn't much to blame. For the most part, he knew the words by heart, seldom having trouble until the very end of the ritual. He began to stutter. Bill let out a choked laugh. 

"What's wrong, Pine Tree? Are you nervous?" Bill choked out. Dipper began to sweat, struggling to remember a word here and there. It didn't help that his Latin was a bit rough. He finished the speech with his fingers crossed, hoping he'd said everything as accurately as possible. The last sound Dipper heard was Bill screaming before he shut his eyes and stumbled back. 

"W-Woah...what the hell was that?" Wendy gasped. It was her voice. Her very own voice.

"Oh thank God," Dipper sighed out, opening his eyes, "Wendy are you okay?"

"I-I mean I feel fine, b-but...I think I'm going to need an explanation," she panted.

"Well, basically I possessed you and you had no control over your body, but you could vaguely tell what was going on," Bill spoke. Dipper's head snapped up. It wasn't until then did he realize that there was one more person present in the room than there had been during the exorcism. The male had platinum blonde hair and two golden eyes, the left with a scar through it, though seeming as if it hadn't affected the eye itself. The male was tall and fairly thin, wearing a white dress shirt and black slacks. He wore a bow tie around his neck and held a black cane.

"What have I done?" Dipper's eyes widened as he took a step back. Bill was too busy examining his new form to hear him. 

"I'm human! Or...demi-human. I've still got my powers, look!" Bill smiled, turning a stray beer can inside out. "I should've tested that trick out on you," the blonde pointed over at Mabel, who was trembling against the wall. 

"Dipper!" Mabel wailed. Bill moved over to Dipper.

"I owe you one buddy! And I thought we were going to be enemies!" Bill smirked cheerily, throwing an arm around Dipper. 

"Get off me!" Dipper protested, pushing Bill away. Bill furrowed his eyebrows, confused. Dipper was too busy untying Wendy to notice Bill's utter confusion. 

"Dipper...can I uh...talk to you for a second?" Mabel asked, backing into the kitchen. Dipper looked from Wendy to Bill, a look of concern on his features. 

"W-What about Wendy?" he furrowed his eyebrows. 

"My business isn't with her. It was with you...but now I'm not so sure," he furrowed his eyebrows, examining his human for once more. Dipper gave in, sighing as he hurried into the kitchen with Mabel.

“Dipper, what the hell?” were the first words to leave Mabel’s lips.

“What, you think I meant to do this? The last thing I need is demi-human Bill hanging around!” he shook his head, glancing over his shoulder to keep an eye on the unfamiliar blonde male. Bill was too busy being fascinated by his new form to cause any harm. He examined each part of his body, paying special attention to the gold ring on his finger. 

“We have to change him back,” she stated, urgency lacing her words.

“Don’t worry about it, alright? We’ll just go back to the Shack and ask Ford about it. I’m sure he’s got something to help us,” he reassured, turning back to look after Bill. Dipper wasn’t about to trust the male all by himself, no matter what form he presented himself in. He took the blonde’s arm and tugged him to Wendy’s front door. 

“Mabel, make sure Wendy is okay. I’ll take care of Bill. Thanks for a good time, Wen,” he spoke, the words getting tossed over his shoulder as he pulled open the door and shoved Bill through it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bill sleeps over and Dipper asks for some help.

Dipper pushed open the door to the Mystery Shack, letting it slam against the wall it was hinged on. He still held Bill by the his wrist, eyes darting around the room in search for Ford. The only person occupying the room was Stan, counting money at the cash register. At the abrupt entrance, the older male looked up from his task and was now looking at the unfamiliar guest. Dipper had been openly bisexual for a while now, but he’d never really dated anyone since coming back to Gravity Falls. Stan immediately smirked at who he thought was Dipper’s attempt to explore.

“Hey, kiddo. Who’s you’re friend?” he chuckled, giving Dipper the _look_. Of course, Dipper was in no mood to joke around. Instead he clenched the fist that wasn’t holding the demon’s wrist and narrowed his eyes.

“Where’s Ford?” he demanded, wanting to get Bill back into his triangular shape as soon as possible.

“He’s out, kiddo. What do you need him for anyway? I think you’re past the ‘wingman’ stage,” Stan responded, eyebrows now furrowed in confusion.

“Stan will you cut it out?” Dipper groaned, looking back at Bill.

“Where to now, Pine Tree?” the blonde asked, clearly irritated with being pulled around everywhere.

“Pine Tree…?” Stan asked, the dots beginning to connect in his head, “Dipper what did you do?”

“No one gets to talk about this until Ford gets home. For now, Bill is staying in my room with me,” Dipper declared. At this, Bill’s face lit up and he looked towards the brunette fondly. 

“I get to be surrounded by all your personal belongings?” Bill asked, his tone much like one of a child who’d just been given an opportunity for free candy.

“Maybe that’s not such a good idea, kid,” Stan warned, looking at the tall blonde warily.

“Do you have any other ideas?” Dipper challenged, already irritated with the way the night was going.

“I promise I won’t harm you in your sleep, Pine Tree. Like I said, I owe you one,” Bill proclaimed. 

“Gee, thanks,” Dipper muttered. He led Bill up the stairs and into his bedroom, the same one he’d been residing in since he was twelve. Not much had changed about the room apart from a few of its decorations. Both beds remained in the same position they’d always been in, the only difference was Mabel’s bed was unoccupied. Mabel had decided it would be best for her to find an apartment nearby and live on her own, whereas Dipper wanted to be as close to work as possible. Mabel’s belongings had stayed put out of Dipper’s laziness. Dipper looked over at Bill and gestured in the general direction of Mabel’s old bed. 

“You’ll be sleeping there––if you sleep. Do you sleep?” Dipper inquired, quirking a brow in curiosity. 

“Uh, as a demon no. As a demi-human I’m not sure,” the blonde admitted, taking a seat on the bed opposite Dipper’s. 

“Oh. Well...try sleeping,” Dipper shrugged, shedding his dressy attire for some sweats and an old t-shirt. 

“How does one...sleep?” Bill asked, clearly uncomfortable with having to confide in a human being for help. Of course the question stumped Dipper because there was no real way to explain sleeping, it was just something that happened. 

“Just––shut your eyes and think of pretty thoughts until you don’t have to think anymore. It’ll happen without you trying,” he insisted, rummaging through his drawer and tossing Bill a pair of flannel PJ pants and another one of his old t-shirts. 

“What are these for?” Bill questioned, examining the pieces. 

“They’re comfortable clothes. They’re for sleeping,” Dipper explained.

“Humans have attire designated for sleep?” Bill replied, dumbfounded by the newly acquired information.

“Yes, Bill. Don’t ask me why. I don’t have all the answers in the world. Just think about these things all night and I’m sure you’ll exhaust yourself into sleeping,” Dipper spoke back, now a little irritated by the demon. As much as Dipper loved children, the last thing he needed was having to deal with a child-like demi-human. 

“I just don’t understand,” Bill sighed, putting the clothes Dipper had given him aside and simply changing his clothes with a snap of his fingers. The clothes he had been wearing became enveloped in blue flame before changing into a black t-shirt and yellow plaid flannel PJ pants. 

‘How fitting’ Dipper thought.

“I thought you, of all people––er, demons––would understand sleeping. You’re a dream demon aren’t you?” Dipper sighed, getting under the covers of his bed. 

“Just because I deal with sleep, doesn’t mean I understand the entire culture of it. Aren’t humans good at dealing with things they don’t understand? Isn’t that where religion came from? An incapability to understand death?” Bill argued. 

“Or maybe religion is real. You are a demon aren’t you? Where there is bad there must be good? I’m up in the air about the whole thing, let’s just not talk about it,” Dipper commented, reaching over to turn off the light.

“These are questions in which I don’t have the permission to answer. Sweet dreams, Pine Tree,” Bill cooed. 

“Oh shove it, Cipher,” Dipper retorted. 

It was easy for Dipper to fall asleep considering the day he had endured, but for Bill the night was filled with tossing and turning. He’d stayed up all night full of curiosity and questions. By the time Bill had finally gotten himself to fall asleep, the sunlight was leaking through the cracks of the curtains. 

Dipper stirred under his covers, not yet prepared to wake up before all the memories of the previous night came flooding back into his mind. He gasped and rose to a sitting position with a start. He looked over at Mabel’s old bed in hopes that it had all been a bad dream, but even he knew there was a fat chance of anything that fortunate ever happening to him. Bill looked peaceful, which was very out of character and made Dipper a little uncomfortable. It was strange the way the beams of sunlight hit his golden hair, creating this halo out of his blonde locks. His eyelashes were dark and curved upward. They were thick and fanned out delicately, causing him to look innocent. It was almost as if Bill sensed Dipper’s stare because his eyes fluttered open gently. When Bill came to his senses, he noticed Dipper watching him. 

“Do humans usually watch other people sleep?” he asked, rubbing his eyes. 

“No. Just when they’re surprised that the other person didn’t murder them in their sleep,” Dipper retorted. 

“I told you I wouldn’t hurt you,” Bill replied simply, propping himself up on his elbow.

“Oh yes, how silly of me! Why _wouldn’t_ I trust a demon?” the brunette quipped sarcastically. Bill gave the male an annoyed glare and shook his head.

“I told you I owed you one, kid. That’s something I don’t lie about,” he protested.

“Bill, if you think I’m going to trust you anytime soon, you’re fooling yourself,” he huffed, getting up from his bed and moving to his closet. He picked out a t-shirt and jeans, pulling them on and turning around. By the time he looked back, Bill was already clothed in dress pants and a button up, a crisp black tie fastened around his neck. Dipper narrowed his eyes at the male. 

“Right, well, since you’re human now, do you think you could dress more casually?” Dipper suggested. 

“Sure, I guess. What do you recommend?” the blonde inquired, looking down at his clothes.

“Well, what do you have?” Dipper asked.

“Everything. I’m magic,” Bill deadpanned, giving the other a slightly annoyed glare.

“Something like what I’m wearing,” he replied, giving the male a shrug and moving over to his bedside table to retrieve his phone. At that, the demon snapped his fingers and changed into a white t-shirt and black skinnies, a plaid flannel tied around his waist. 

“Where’d you get the inspiration for that?” Dipper asked, looking down at his own clothes.

“I happen to have seen a magazine or two,” he shrugged. Just as the words left his lips, Dipper’s cell began to vibrate in his hand. Mabel’s name flashed across the screen. Dipper brought the phone to his ear and before he could even utter a greeting, Mabel’s voice came stern through the phone.

“I think I’ve got a bust waiting for us. Have you gotten rid of the problem?” she asked, her words quick.

“Problem?” Dipper repeated.

“Yes. Bill. The problem!” she responded urgently.

“It’s being handled. Just––don’t worry about it. What about this bust?” he asked, brushing off the Bill situation.

“I’m pretty sure there are some demons hanging around Greasy’s. I think I caught one trying to mess with a human. Get down here as soon as you can,” she urged before hanging up. Dipper heaved a sigh and looked over to the ‘problem’ standing in the middle of the room.

“Can I come?” he asked, clearly having eavesdropped on the conversation.

“No, you can’t. Ford should be back now and I’m getting you out of here as soon as humanly possible,” Dipper replied, unsympathetic. He took the demon by the wrist as he had the previous night and brought him down to Ford’s workspace. Ford was turned away from Dipper, writing something down on a piece of paper.

“Ford, we need to talk,” Dipper requested.

“Not now, I’m working on something important,” he mumbled, pen still frantically writing.

“I think you’ll find this equally as important,” he urged, tugging Bill forward.

“What is––” Ford began to turn, but was stopped abruptly by the sight of the stranger.

“Dipper, I don’t have time to––”

“Bill Cipher, nice to meet ya!” the demon greeted, cutting the older man off.

“Bill Cipher? Dipper what in the hell have you done?” Ford asked, clearly unhappy with the situation.

“I exorcised him wrong and this happened. Please just help me reverse it. I have to see Mabel soon and––” he started.

“Dipper I don’t _know_ how to reverse it,” Ford interrupted.

“So he’s just stuck like this forever?” Dipper groaned.

“Well, I could probably figured it out, but I really can’t tell you how long that’s going to take. It could take months, years, hell I don’t know,” Ford sighed, continuously making side glances at the golden haired boy. 

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to harm Dipper. I made a promise,” Bill announced proudly.

“Yeah, believe me I know what those are like,” Ford muttered.

“So, what, am I supposed to just babysit him this whole time?” Dipper asked, brows furrowed.

“It seems so kid. Look, obviously he doesn’t have a bone to pick with you right now. I’ll work things out and you keep your eye on Bill,” Ford spoke, nodding at the demon. Dipper sighed reluctantly.

“Alright Bill, you can come,” he muttered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this had so little action again. It kills me to have to move slowly in some chapters, but I needed to do a little bit of establishing. Don't worry though, the next chapter will have some demon fighting (which shouldn't be too graphic).


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dipper does his duty and Bill is getting more human.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm sorry this took so long!! school got really busy and i had a big paper due and then a bunch of important tests!! also sorry this is a little shorter than normal.

Dipper pulled into the parking lot at Greasy’s, looking over at Bill in the passenger seat.

“Bill, do me a big favor and stay in the car,” Dipper pleaded.

“What? Why? No fair...you said I could come!” he protested, furrowing his eyebrows at the brunette.

“Yes, but I didn’t say you could watch. It would be easier if you just stayed in the car. Will you please just stay in the car?” Dipper insisted.

“Fine,” the blonde mumbled, crossing his arms over his chest and slumping in his seat.

“You’re such a child,” Dipper muttered as he stepped out of the car. He walked quickly into the diner, spotting Mabel instantly. He took the seat in the booth across from his twin and toyed with the menu placed in front of her.

“You’re late,” she mumbled, looking out the window and nodding to two silhouettes smoking on a ledge. 

“They don’t seem very dangerous to me. Did you really need backup?” he inquired, quirking a brow. He looked at the two, one female with long brown hair and one male who was fairly tall and lanky. Mabel gave a frustrated sigh and shook her head. 

“Yeah, well you weren’t here earlier when they were harassing a poor old man,” she argued.

“An old man? Mabel, are you sure these aren’t normal teenagers?” Dipper reasoned, glancing back out of the window. Upon doing so, he managed to catch the lanky male pound his fist on the cement ledge and crack it, having obviously reacted out of frustration to the conversation he was having.

“Now do you believe me?” Mabel sighed, gesturing to the now cracked ledge.

“Alright, let’s go,” Dipper sighed, climbing out of the booth and putting a hand on his blade. Mabel pushed her jacket aside to reveal her gun holster, magazine filled with rock salt bullets to slow the demons down. The two were only able to get their hands on one demon-killing knife, which normally stayed in Dippers possession. It wasn’t the only way to kill a demon, but it was much faster. Overall the two preferred to exorcise, considering it saved the human as well, but when things got sticky the two did whatever they had to.

The two approached the figures, standing before them menacingly. There was never an easy way to approach this, so instead they decided on just being blunt about it.

“You don’t belong here,” Mabel snarled, drawing her gun. 

“Hunters,” the male demon spat, standing from his spot and moving to defend himself. Mabel disengaged the safety and aimed cautiously.

“This could go the easy way, or the hard way, my dear enemy,” she spoke through gritted teeth. Without a word, the male charged at her. She fired a shot right to his shoulder, causing him to stumble backward.

“They always choose the hard way,” she sighed, words filled with disappointment. Dipper charged at the female who was now ready to come to the defense of her friend. 

“Not so fast,” Dipper growled, slashing her arm with the knife. She cried out in pain and gripped her wound, looking down in shock. Dipper took advantage of her vulnerability and captured her by the neck, blade pressed to her throat. These demons were weak. 

In the middle of fighting with the other demon, Mabel had managed to knock him to the ground, ripping off the skirt that sat over her solid black leggings and tossing it to Dipper. Dipper dropped it to the floor in an imperfect circle, revealing a makeshift devil’s trap. Mabel had made it in her spare time, her creative side helping her deeply in her work. Dipper shoved the female into the circle, reciting the words for the exorcism without hesitation this time. He may or may not have tucked a cheat sheet in his pocket and taken a peek just before they’d made their way over. The male tried to run off, but Mabel shot him in the leg and took the knife from Dipper. She caught the male by the arm and threatened him with the knife before pushing him into the circle as well.

“You’re gonna pay for this,” the female spat as Dipper finished up the recitation. Dipper smirked and shrugged.

“I know. See you in hell,” he chirped as the two bodies fell to the ground. The twins helped them up and picked up the skirt from under them. Dipper looked up at Mabel and nudged the female towards her. 

“You take care of them, I have to––”

“You said you took care of it!” Mabel shrieked, staring past Dipper. Dipper turned to see Bill with a smile painted across his lips.

“I-I did! Just...go inside okay?” he pressed, pointing to the diner.

“Dipper I swear––” she began.

“All you’re doing is prolonging the situation. Just help them out please. I’ll deal with––” 

“Pine Tree!” the blonde cooed, striding over to the twins.

“And that is my cue to exit and avoid this situation at all costs,” Mabel sighed, guiding both semi-conscious human beings into the diner.

“Look Bill––” Dipper started.

“I’m a little angry you did that,” Bill commented through gritted teeth, lips forced upward in a smile.

“Why didn’t you stop me?” Dipper pressed, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Because. I owe you one,” he growled, pivoting on his heel to walk toward the car. Dipper raced after him.

“And until when does this deal continue on?” Dipper inquired.

“I’ll let you know when I figure it out,” Bill huffed, sitting in the front seat and slamming the door shut behind him. Dipper climbed into the driver’s seat and looked over at him curiously.

“Why are you so mad. Those specific ones didn’t seem like much of a valuable addition to your collection,” Dipper shook his head. 

“If I said that about a human, would it suddenly make you feel better that I killed it?” Bill spat back.

“Okay, okay! I just didn’t peg you as the type to care,” Dipper shook his head, reversing out of the parking structure.

“I’m not,” Bill mumbled.

“Then why are you so damn angry?” Dipper furrowed his brows, narrowing his eyes at the demon.

“I’m impressed,” he admitted, his voice hardly detectable.

“Excuse me?” Dipper laughed, slamming the breaks in the middle of the parking lot. This aroused a few honks, but Dipper was too busy cracking up to notice.

“You heard me, fuckin’ noodle. Don’t make me repeat myself,” Bill shouted. Of course the action wasn’t menacing after what the blonde had just admitted. 

“Noodle? Bill who are you?” Dipper snickered, wiping the tears that had begun to form at the corners of his eyes. 

“Human. I hate it,” he retorted, pointing in front of them and urging Dipper to continue driving.

“Aw, does poor Bill have emotions?” Dipper cooed, continuing the drive back to the Mystery Shack.

“Absolutely not. That’s ridiculous,” he objected, shaking his head.

“Uh huh, sure,” Dipper teased, nudging him on the side. Bill whacked his arm away and looked out the window angrily.

“Stop acting buddy-buddy with me. You’re so eager to get rid of me, it’s all pointless anyway,” the blond spat. The words came like daggers. He wasn’t wrong. In fact, he couldn’t have been more correct. It wasn’t even the words that were painful, it was the underlying hurt in Bill’s voice. Dipper would never be able to explain why he felt bad for wanting to exorcise the demon that tormented him for so long, but he did and it scared him.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bill is a pizza? Apparently.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey pals! i'm so incredibly sorry i haven't posted in literally 9 months. i went through a really rough patch and then a lot of changes happened and a lot was going on, but hey i'm back. i promise i haven't ditched this. i really really hope people are still interested in reading this. as long as there is at least one person, i'll be happy.

Dipper’s car rolled up to the Mystery Shack just in time to see Ford walk out of the door and onto the steps. Dipper hoped that the fact that Ford was no longer buried in a book, meant Ford knew the answer to the human Bill problem. He parked the car and ran out to his great uncle before Bill could catch up.

“So? What’s the deal? Do we have a solution?” the brunette inquired, talking quickly before Bill would be in earshot.

“Look kid, whatever it is, it’s not going to take a couple hours. You can guarantee you’ll be waiting a while before we get any kind of answer. I suggest you worry about keeping tabs on the demon while I figure this whole thing out. Even if I somehow find all the steps to getting Bill back to normal, I don’t think the process will be easy,” Ford sighed.

“Can’t I help you look? Won’t it be faster that way?” Dipper asked.

“Look, you have enough to deal with when it comes to Bill. Think of it as having a new puppy. If you turn your back on it, it just might pee everywhere and chew up your favorite tennis shoes,” he explained. 

“I can assure you I’m very well potty trained,” Bill deadpanned, approaching from behind. Dipper turned to face the demon, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Well, Bill, how do you feel about becoming a hunter’s sidekick?” Dipper quipped, sarcasm dripping from his lips. 

“Absolutely not. I will not be subjected to something so awful,” he proclaimed, narrowing his eyes at Dipper.

“See, this is going to be a problem because I can’t exactly do my job and keep an eye on him, now can I?” Dipper explained, turning back to Ford.

“Like I said, you do your thing, I’ll do mine,” he replied, walking back into the Mystery Shack. Dipper groaned in frustration and looked over at the blonde. 

“You’re causing me a lot of trouble,” he sighed, clenching his jaw. 

“Um, yes. I’m sure I am and as much as I’d like to enjoy it, I feel funny,” Bill admitted, furrowing his brows. Dipper loosened up and stepped toward the male.

“Funny how?” Dipper asked.

“My stomach feels hollow when there is clearly nothing missing,” Bill described, patting his stomach as if to prove his point. Dipper nearly choked on his own laughter as he realized what the blonde meant.

“You’re hungry. You need food,” he explained, looking down at his watch. “And reasonably so. It’s lunch time and you haven’t had anything to eat since you––well since you turned human.”

“Right. Human food. This may be the worst thing I’ve ever had to endure,” he sighed. Dipper chuckled and gestured to his car.

“C’mon. Since you’ve been a good little demi-human, I’ll take you to my favorite pizza place. Just make sure you don’t chew up the booth,” Dipper teased, coining his great uncle’s dog metaphor.

“Shut up and help me fix this empty feeling. It’s terribly unpleasant,” Bill huffed. 

It wasn’t long before they arrived at the pizza place, taking a seat closer to the back. Dipper picked up a menu and skimmed the options. Bill looked down at the menu as well, but his expression was one of frustration.

“You have different flavors of trash?” he questioned, resting his chin on the palm of his hand. 

“How about we start you off with cheese pizza and a soda,” Dipper smiled, patting him on the arm in attempts to shut him up. When the waitress came by, Dipper placed their orders and handed her the menu. Bill looked around, observing his surroundings. 

The place was very simple. Red booths and chairs took up most of the space, scattered over a black and white tiled floor. Towards the back, chefs could be seen making the pizzas and fitting them into a stone oven. In Bill’s eyes, the place was quite boring. Nothing stood out in the mundane restaurant. After a while of sitting in sleepy silence––a feeling Bill had never felt before––he let out a groan.

“When is this...pizza coming? Why does it take so long,” he complained.

“Cooking isn’t magic, Bill. It takes time. No one just snaps their fingers like you do,” Dipper chuckled, beginning to find the whole ordeal pretty amusing. Dipper no longer felt like the helpless one of the pair. 

“Magic, huh? You think I could just poof us up a pizza?” Bill inquired, looking over at Dipper.

“Uh, I’d really rather you not. I’m perfectly fine with my safe, human-cooked food,” he replied, shaking his head in refusal. Bill huffed and buried his face in his hands in frustration.

“I have a lot of rage I would like to release, but I cannot pinpoint where this rage is coming from,” Bill spat, clearly frustrated. Dipper began to laugh, slowly getting louder and louder as Bill’s words sunk in.

“Bill, you’re hangry. As much as I despise that word and think it should’ve been left in 2012, it’s the best word to explain this situation. You’re so hungry, it’s making you angry,” he chuckled, shaking his head. 

“You humans sure function like complete idiots,” he growled, looking away in embarrassment. Just then, the waitress came to the table with a tray, balancing the pizzas. Bill perked up, mouth watering at the sight. He gripped the edge of the table and watched as she set down his pizza, licking his lips.

“Be careful there, Bill. I think you’re drooling,” Dipper laughed. Bill shot him a look before picking up a slice and shoving it in his mouth. He had it between his lips for a full second before spitting it out. 

“Ow! You didn’t tell me human food hurts!” he screamed, sipping at his soda.

“That’s because it’s hot you goofball. You’re supposed to wait until it cools down a little,” Dipper snorted, feeling as though he had not stopped laughing all of lunch.

“So let me get this straight. You guys wait until you are hungry, then you wait until the food is cooked, and then when the food is put in front of you, you continue to wait? Even though it’s sitting there taunting you?” Bill asked, frustration and anger lacing his tone. 

“Well, yeah I guess. We don’t really see it like that, but you’re not wrong,” Dipper shrugged.

“Fucking humans,” Bill muttered, shaking his head and crossing his arms over his chest. Dipper smirked as he picked up a piece, looking at it before holding it up to Bill’s face. 

“Hey look! It’s you Bill!” Dipper chuckled, referring to the yellow, triangular state of the demon. Bill picked up a napkin, balled it up, and threw it directly at Dipper’s face. That did not keep Dipper from his tear-jerking laughter.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bill and Dipper deal with children.

The pizza joint had created a blanket of normality, distorting reality for the both of them. It wasn’t until they’d arrived at the Mystery Shack that they began to realize their escapades were temporary and they weren’t exactly supposed to be buddy buddy. They both fell silent as Dipper parked the car. Dipper swallowed deeply. Bill wasn’t his friend. He wasn’t supposed to have _enjoyed_ his time at the pizza joint, so why did he?

“Is this a human thing too? Waiting in the car doing nothing?” Bill asked, trying at a joke. Dipper looked over at the male, shaking his head with a weak attempt at a smile.

“No, just a Dipper thing,” he sighed, taking the keys out of the ignition.

“You’re confused?” Bill inquired. Dipper figured he was able to tell with whatever magic he had left. 

“Why are you so civil? I don’t understand,” he sighed, tapping his fingers on the wheel.

“I owe you, remember? Besides, you have a lot more power over me now that I’m half human. If I didn’t know that I was hungry, I would’ve eventually died of starvation. If I didn’t already know the reason why, I would be asking why you were helping me,” Bill explained.

“And what’s the reason, Bill?” Dipper asked, rolling his eyes and preparing for Bill to say something shitty.

“Because that’s just you. You’re too nice, Pine Tree,” he shrugged. 

“Wow, Bill. That’s really––”

“And also you’re a complete and total wuss,” Bill added. Dipper’s smile dropped and he groaned.

“That sounds more like the Bill I know,” he huffed, finally popping open the car door and stepping out. He pushed open the door to the Mystery Shack, planning on slamming the door in Bill’s face, but was halted by Mabel pacing just in front of the door.

“Where have you been?” were the first words that launched out of her mouth. Dipper let go of the door out of shock, resulting in the screen whacking Bill in the face. 

“Ow! Okay! I’m sorry I won’t call you a wuss again,” he grumbled, rubbing his nose. Dipper flinched as he looked back at Bill.

“Oh? So you’re just making friends with the enemy now?” Mabel spat, crossing her arms over her chest. 

“Mabel don’t––”

“You will _not_ ‘Mabel don’t’ me. I am the _most_ forgiving person in the world. Doesn’t that tell you anything about how grave this situation is? He has _possessed_ you before. He came to Wendy’s party with the intent of hurting you. Why don’t you get that?” she pressed, shaking her head. 

“Bill. Go upstairs,” Dipper commented, throwing the words behind his shoulder, not breaking eye contact with his sister.

“Bill don’t move. Dipper, you have to keep him in sight. If we’re not watching him, he could ruin things for us. I don’t know if you remember this, but we hunt his friends,” she screamed.

“She’s right, Pine Tree. You have no reason to trust me,” Bill admitted. Dipper turned to see that he had stepped onto the other side of the door, a very light trickle of blood coming from his right nostril. 

“Oh Bill, you’re bleeding,” Dipper commented, his voice more shocked than caring.

“So that’s what you’re going to pay attention to? Not the fact that he just openly admitted you couldn’t trust him?” Mabel growled.

“You know what Mabel? He’s human too. And he’s fucking bleeding. So forgive the fuck out of me for caring about his well-being for _one_ fucking second,” Dipper screamed. It was the first time he’d ever raised his voice at Mabel. First time he’d ever cussed at her too. Mabel stumbled back in shock, mouth agape for a minute before shaking her head and turning away.

“You’re choosing a _demon_ over your sister. I hope you recognize how unreasonable your being,” she muttered.

“There are no sides to be chosen, Mabel. This circumstance is much more complicated,” he explained, walking over to her and resting a hand on her shoulder. She pulled away from him, storming upstairs to her room. He heaved a sigh, dropping his hand and turning back to Bill.

“I’m not that important, Pine Tree,” Bill shook his head. 

“Regardless, I’m not going after her. She needs the time by herself and she’d kill me if I left you alone,” he sighed, grabbing Bills wrist gently and guiding him into the bathroom. Dipper sat him down on the toilet and grabbed some toilet paper, running it under the sink to dampen it. He walked over to Bill, wiping the blood from his nose carefully. Bill took in a sharp breath, flinching. 

“Pain isn’t as fun when you’re human,” he admitted.

“And you’re only half. Imagine full,” Dipper mumbled, taking another bundle of toilet paper and holding it under his nose. 

“Lean forward and let it bleed out. I think it’s done bleeding, but just in case,” he added, throwing the wet paper into the trash. 

“Are you mad at me?” Bill inquired, sighing heavily. 

“No. Yes. I don’t know,” Dipper grumbled. 

“You are. You’re mad,” Bill confirmed.

“More at myself. It _is_ my fault. I did this,” Dipper huffed. He placed his hands on his hips and ran a frustrated hand through his hair. Just then his phone began to buzz. Great, just what he needed. Another demon mission. He fished his phone from his pocket, pressing the answer button and holding it up to his ear.

“Hello?” he asked.

“Hey, when do you think you’re coming?” Soos asked through the receiver. Shit. Dipper was supposed to babysit his and Melody’s kid tonight. 

“Uh when do you need me?” Dipper asked nervously. 

“In about two hours would be great. If you’re still up for it. We could always call Melody’s mom––” 

“No, no. I can do this. I wanted to do you a favor. I’m on it, Soos,” he reassured, hanging up the phone and looking at Bill. 

“Let’s go see if we could convince someone to watch after you,” Dipper huffed, making a mental list of people who could deal with Bill. Maybe Stan. If they were lucky. Possibly Wendy? Probably not after what happened though. 

“I’m not a _child_ , Pine Tree,” Bill protested. 

“I beg to differ,” Dipper muttered, taking Bill by the wrist and guiding him into the living room where Grunkle Stan was sure to be. 

After about an hour of arguing, begging, and insisting, Dipper finally gave up with a heavy sigh.

“Fat chance, kid. This demon was the worst thing that ever happened to me. If I wasn’t so poignantly aware of the fact that this mistake of yours was irreversible, Bill would’ve been gone the minute he arrived. _That’s_ how much I hate him. I would’ve actually took matters into my own hands. Now scram,” he grumbled, shooing him away with his hand. Dipper walked off with a defeated slouch. 

“So? Do I have a babysitter?” Bill asked when Dipper made his way back to where he’d left Bill. 

“Nope. I’m your permanent one it seems. Listen, Soos cannot know you’re Bill Cipher. You mention a word of it and I will starve you. I will find every means possible to torture you in every way I can imagine,” Dipper threatened, hoping Bill wouldn’t call him on his bluff.

“Oh, Pine Tree. You’re turning me on a little bit,” Bill teased, a smirk playing on his lips. Dipper’s face went beet red. He punched Bill in the arm before storming off to the car. 

“Ouch!” Bill yelped, rubbing his arm. Despite this, his smile lingered on his lips.

***

Dipper and Bill walked up the stone steps to Soos’s house. Dipper looked at Bill cautiously, hesitant. He sighed in defeat before knocking on the door. Soos opened it almost immediately after he knocked, carrying a toddler in his arms.

“Oh great you’re here! Melody’s, like, freaking out about missing the concert. Here, take Mason. Valerie is watching TV inside. Everything you could possibly need is in the kitchen. Our phone numbers and Melody’s mom’s cell is taped to the refrigerator. Don’t hesitate to call us. They go to sleep at nine p.m. and shouldn’t cause you much trouble. Except sometimes Mason––hey, who’s your friend?” Soos inquired, finally noticing the blonde. 

“He’s––” 

“Daniel Templeton! I’m Dipper’s cousin. Nice to meet you. He didn’t mention me because I was a bit of a surprise visitor! I hope you don’t mind,” Bill chirped, a faux British accent covering his natural voice. Though Soos looked a bit puzzled, he didn’t question it. He was probably too caught up with getting to the concert on time. 

“Melody! Dipper’s here! We can go!” Soos called, handing Mason off to Dipper. Melody appeared next to Soos in a flash, gripping her partner’s arm. 

“So Dipper. Phone numbers on the––”

“Refrigerator. I got it. Don’t worry, I’ve got this. I’m a natural, see?” he smiled, bouncing Mason on his hip. Mason let out a joyous shriek, proving Dipper’s point. 

It wasn’t long before Soos and Melody had cleared out and Bill and Dipper were left alone with the children. Dipper was bouncing Mason in his lap as Valerie sat in front of the television eating cheerios. It’d been about two hours since the couple had left and Soos’s words had proven right. The children were very easy. Dipper told Valerie she was allowed one last show before she would be required to make her way upstairs and get ready for bed. Bill had been in the kitchen, warming up Mason’s bottle of milk. Melody’s instructions had informed the two that Mason had trouble falling asleep without it. At first, Dipper had been worried that Bill would mess it up, but Bill had assured him he was up to the task. 

When the episode had ended, Valerie obediently made her way upstairs and began to get ready for bed. At seven years old, she knew how to do it on her own. Having been a child of Soos and Melody, she was very well-behaved. Bill walked in with the milk just in time, handing it off to Dipper. Dipper tested the warmth of the milk on the back of his hand, looking up at the blonde, impressed. 

“I did pretty good, huh?” Bill chuckled. 

“Oh please, it was a simple task,” Dipper rolled his eyes. He pushed the bottle into Mason’s mouth and he gripped it with his own two hands, sucking greedily. The milk got to about halfway finished when Dipper realized Mason wasn’t getting sleepy despite the fact that they’d done everything right. Dipper brushed it off at first, guessing that maybe he had to be laying in bed first. Dipper carried the toddler to his room and laid him down in his crib. Dipper began to walk away, but the toddled popped back up and whimpered. Dipper rushed over to him and furrowed his brows. 

“What’s wrong?” he inquired. At this point, Bill had made his way up to the room.

“Maybe he wants a story?” Bill suggested. Dipper decided it was a reasonable suggestion, sitting next to the crib and picking up a book.

“Goldilocks,” Dipper started, opening the book.

“Oh please. That’s a tale as old as time. Everyone knows the bears eat Goldilocks,” Bill scoffed, rolling his eyes. 

“Bill, that is not the version we tell. Besides, do you have any better ideas?” Dipper muttered. 

“None that would aid him in sleeping,” Bill admitted, sighing as he took a seat next to Dipper. Dipper read the story aloud to Mason, but he was wide awake throughout. Even as Dipper finished, Mason was chirping and bouncing. 

“Okay, Mason. Goodnight,” Dipper urged, hoping the toddler would go along with it. The two of them rose to their feet and started to walk out of the room when Mason began to cry. Dipper began to panic, collecting Mason in his arms. This only made the toddler cry louder, kicking his legs against Dipper’s torso. 

“W-What did I do?” he stammered, beginning to get nervous. Bill shook his head at Dipper, just as clueless. 

“I’ll reread the instructions. Maybe we missed something,” Bill replied as he rushed out of the room, just as panicked as Dipper. The brunette tried bouncing Mason in hopes that would lull him to sleep.

“What’s wrong? Talk to me, Mason,” Dipper cooed.

“Mommy! Mommy!” Mason wailed. Just then, Bill stumbled into the room. 

“There’s nothing on the instructions,” he gulped, the worry even more apparent on his features. 

“Of course not. He wants his mother,” Dipper sighed, rocking the toddler back and forth.

“Well w-what are we going to do? Should I teleport his mother here? Her limbs may arrived a bit mangled but––”

“No! No. I want to do this on my own. I have to do this on my own,” Dipper urged, holding the child tight to his chest. Mason thrashed out even more in frustration. 

“Hey, hey! It’s okay! Shhh...I’ve got you, okay? Mommy will be here super soon, I promise. She’ll come and she’ll give you lots of kisses and hugs,” Dipper promised. Mason only wailed louder. Likely because he wanted her kisses and hugs immediately, not later. Dipper looked at Bill in panic. 

“Dipper, breathe. Relax. Think,” Bill commented, trying to keep his composure despite the fact that Dipper could feel the worry radiating off him. Regardless, his advice was good. Dipper took a deep breath in and held it before exhaling slowly. Just then, he got an idea. 

“Hold, Mason. I’ll be right back,” he declared, running down the stairs and out of the house. He got into his car and took the five minute drive to the Mystery Shack. He stumbled out of the car and bolted to his room. He shuffled around for it for what felt like forever before he found it. He hugged it to his chest happily, throwing a fist up in success before running back down to his car and speeding back. He clamoured up the stairs before bursting into Mason’s room to see Bill bouncing his crying body.

“Is this the torture you were talking about? I swear I didn’t tell Soos a thing! Y-You saw me!” Bill promised, sweat beading at his temples. Dipper took Mason from Bill and reached into his pocket. 

“Hey Mason. Look at this. I used to carry it around whenever I was sad, but I don’t need it anymore. He’ll protect you. All you have to do is hug him tight,” Dipper explained, revealing a stuffed giraffe. Mason had stopped crying out of curiosity, looking at the giraffe. He studied it for a moment before plucking it from Dipper’s hands. He hugged it to his chest tightly. Dipper set him down in the crib gently, Mason closing his eyes as he cuddled with the giraffe. The two males backed slowly out of the room before shutting the door quietly behind them. 

“How did you know that would work?” Bill asked, looking over at Dipper. 

“Children love something that brings safety,” Dipper shrugged, “and it was a lucky guess.”

“Lucky or not, in my eyes you’re a miracle worker. I thought we’d be up all night,” Bill chuckled as they both made their way into the living room. They took a seat on the couch and Dipper slouched into the cushions out of exhaustion. Bill mirrored his actions. 

“What a night,” Dipper chuckled.

“I do not understand why any human would subject themselves to that,” Bill chuckled. The room got quiet, the silence deafening before Dipper spoke up.

“I do,” he admitted, looking away.

“You want _children_?” Bill asked, speaking the words as if it was the most absurd thing anyone could think up.

“Yes, Bill. They’re lovely,” Dipper muttered, chewing the skin off his finger nervously. 

“Well, then why don’t you have any?” Bill inquired, raising a brow.

“It’s not that easy, Bill,” Dipper replied, voice brimming with frustration.

“Well, why not?” Bill asked, shaking his head.

“I would need someone to reproduce with,” Dipper explained.

“Well then find one,” Bill responded as though it were the simplest thing in the world. 

“It’s not that easy,” Dipper repeated.

“Sure it is. I’ll help you find one,” Bill responded, voice light and happy.

“Even if you did, Bill, I can’t have one because I’m––” he stopped, biting his tongue.

“Because you’re what?” Bill pressed. It was too late to turn back now.

“Because I’m infertile. They found out at a yearly physical. I can’t reproduce even if I wanted to. My body won’t do it,” Dipper sighed, no longer facing Bill at all.

“That’s too bad. You would’ve been a great father,” Bill commented. Bill must’ve not known about adoption.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so uh ! next chapter is gonna have some fluff so be prepared for that. also not to sound like a desperate youtuber but i love reading your guys' comments so feel free to leave some down below.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bill gets jealous. Yes. That's what that was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw: depression mention and death mention. also! sorry for not posting. i just got back to college so things have been crazy. also sorry this chapter is a bit short. i wanted to get it out on time.

“Hey! We’re not paying you to sleep on the job!” came Melody’s joking voice. Dipper’s eyes opened slowly, a bit disoriented and unsure of his location. When he looked up, Bill was knocked out on the couch. Dipper shifted to look over at the female when he felt something other than cushion underneath him. That was when he realized that he wasn’t right-side-up on the couch, but rather laying across the couch horizontally. He then came to the much more startling realization that he’d been using Bill’s lap as his pillow. He jolted upwards and out of Bill’s lap, eyes wide and cheeks flushed with embarrassment. His sudden movement caused Bill to stir, rubbing his eyes.

“What’s the big deal, Pi––” Bill fell silent when he realized Melody was standing before them.

“Sorry Melody! We didn’t mean to,” Dipper apologized, scratching the back of his neck nervously.

“I’m only joking, Dipper! Besides, my own mother falls asleep after she’s put the kids to bed. It happens. Children are exhausting sometimes,” she shrugged with a knowing smile.

“Where’s Soos?” Dipper wondered.

“He went upstairs to say goodnight to the kids. He really loves them,” she nodded, looking towards the stairs happily.

“Alright, well we’d better get going,” Dipper sighed, getting up from his spot.

“How much do I owe you?” Melody inquired.

“Don’t be ridiculous. It was a favor. Would you pay your mother? I’d do anything for you and Soos,” Dipper objected, shaking his head rapidly. Bill stood and stretched, rubbing his eyes once more. They both said their goodbyes and left the house. They both climbed into the car and Bill shifted in his seat to look at Dipper.

“Is the man _that_ obsessed with you that he named his kid after you?” Bill grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest.

“No actually,” Dipper murmured, clenching his jaw.

“Oh? So it’s completely coincidence then?” Bill replied, raising a brow.

“No. It’s not,” Dipper clipped.

“Then? What’s up with him? Did he forget your name was Mason? Did he do it to profess his undying love for you? Poor Soos couldn’t get Dipper to fall for him so instead he picked someone else with brown curly hair?” he snorted, tapping his fingers on his knee.

“Bill would you stop being so insensitive?” Dipper snapped.

“Oh forgive me! I didn’t realize I had to be _nice_ to everyone you knew. I thought I was just supposed to refrain from killing them,” Bill scoffed.

“I don’t care if you’re nice. I’d just appreciate it if you weren’t so mean,” Dipper retorted.

“I’m not even saying all this to his face. I’m saying it to you. That’s pretty nice if you ask me,” Bill shrugged.

“Why are you so hot and cold?” Dipper huffed, frustrated.

“Oh so are you saying I’m hot?” Bill inquired, wiggling his brows.

“Honestly, Bill. I’m starting to regret sticking up for you today,” Dipper seethed.

“I cannot fathom why,” Bill quipped sarcastically.

“Seriously, Bill. What the fuck is up with you?” Dipper snapped, glaring at him. Bill remained silent, looking out the window and away from Dipper. He hadn't ignored Dipper, rather he just didn't really want to answer a question like that one. Especially because he didn’t know the answer. It remained quiet for most of the drive home, Dipper seething with anger and Bill trying to figure out what had just happened. None of his theories were summing up to anything.

“So...why did he do it?” Bill asked quietly as they parked.

“What?” Dipper asked, so filled with anger that he almost didn’t hear the blonde.

“Why did he name Mason after you?” he specified.

“Because you care or because you wanna be an asshole again?” Dipper inquired. Bill didn’t say anything. Dipper let out a disappointed sigh before pushing open the car door and making his way up to the Mystery Shack angrily. Bill caught him by the wrist gently, eyebrows furrowed.

“Because I care,” he admitted, his voice shy. Dipper pulled his wrist out of the male’s hand.

“Bill, why should I believe you? You know, I really thought maybe I’d read you wrong. Or maybe things had changed with you. You’re only nice to me because you have your own hidden agenda. The minute you find out how to navigate as a human, I’ll be dead. You’re playing me like a fucking fiddle and I’m the idiot that bought into it,” Dipper hissed, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Pine Tree––”

“Stop. Stop making excuses. Stop with this ‘I owe you’ bullshit, because that isn’t you. That isn’t the truth,” Dipper sighed, realizing how much of a fool he’d been for letting his guard down at all. He shouldn’t have brought Bill to Soos’s. He endangered one of his best friend’s kids. He was being selfish and he wasn’t thinking straight. Everything was so terribly wrong. He turned away from Bill and made his way to his room, flinging himself onto his bed and burying his face into the pillow.

Why had Soos named Mason after Dipper? That was something Dipper knew all too well. Dipper had just finished high school, finally deciding on taking a gap year despite the fact that he’d had no trouble getting into college. It was only two months after he’d moved into the Mystery Shack. Soos had called to tell Stan he wasn’t going to show up for work. When Stan had asked why, Soos explained that his abuelita had passed away. When Stan broke the news to Dipper, the first thing he wanted to do was run to Soos’s house and be there for him. Mabel told him it might not be the best idea, considering Soos might’ve wanted to be alone. Dipper settled on calling Soos, spending hours with him on the phone. Mabel was right, Soos didn’t really want anyone to see him. In fact, most of the phone call was silence. Neither of them wanted to hang up though. Stan probably loathed the phone bill, but neither of them wanted to let the other go. A month passed and Soos continued to call in sick at work. Dipper finally took it upon himself to see what was going on, despite the fact that Soos continued to insist that he’d rather be alone. Dipper was so keen on keeping his promise, but finally his worry outweighed his politeness. He let himself into the house, finding Soos at the couch in poor condition. He looked as though he hadn’t slept in days and he was surrounded by a plethora of tissues. After talking with Soos, Dipper convinced him to talk to a therapist––Dipper had insisted that it would only be once, but Soos ended up continuing the sessions as Dipper had figured he would. Soos discovered that he’d been depressed and Dipper was there for him every single day. He stuck by his side, helped him through the hard parts, and did whatever he could. It wasn’t easy. In fact, Dipper decided it was harder to fight mental demons than real ones. It broke his heart to see someone as happy as Soos, go through something so difficult. It had to be one of the hardest things to watch.

After everything, Soos wasn’t as reluctant to go to work. Things got better. Each day was a new challenge, but each day Dipper was there for Soos. Dipper cheered him on and helped him up and gave him whatever space he needed. He was patient and understanding and always reassuring. He wasn’t perfect, but he did the best he could. Soos overcame the worst parts and learned how to cope with everything. Though he was not magically healed, he was much better. He proclaimed that he had Dipper to thank, but Dipper profusely objected. Dipper would never dream of taking the credit for Soos’s hard work. He knew it wasn’t easy. He never wanted to see Soos like that again and he’d do anything to prevent it. That was the sole purpose of Soos naming his son after Dipper. He wanted to show Dipper how grateful he was. Dipper didn’t even know until it was too late to object, but he had to admit, it was terribly flattering.

That was why Dipper had been so angry with Bill for teasing. Well, that and the fact that Bill was being unreasonably insensitive.

***

Dipper woke up to the sun pouring through the curtains. He rolled over to shield his eyes when he realized he wasn’t in his PJs. He must’ve fallen asleep after being so angry. He rubbed his eyes and climbed out of bed, glancing over before realizing Bill wasn’t occupying the bed next to him. In fact, Dipper didn’t recall Bill coming in at all the previous night. The last place he remembered leaving the male was outside.

“Fuck,” Dipper muttered, running downstairs. He looked around, hoping that maybe Bill had woken up early. He was nowhere to be seen. Dipper knew he was in deep shit if he didn’t find that demon somewhere. He ran outside and looked around, even checking inside the car to make sure Bill hadn’t decided upon sleeping there in order to hide from Dipper. He groaned in frustration when he couldn’t find the demon. He pulled out his phone and hovered over Mabel’s contact. Would she answer him if he called? Would she even want to help him? He pressed the call button and held the phone up to his ear, pacing around the front porch.

“Come on Mabel. Pick up. _Please_ pick up,” he mumbled, raking his fingers through his hair. The call went to voicemail and Dipper cussed as sat down on the step.

“What the fuck am I going to do?” he groaned, shaking his head. He was so careless. He should’ve been more careful. How could he have just trusted Bill to follow after him? Of course the demon would run off after what’d happened. If Dipper had discovered he shouldn’t trust Bill, the blonde would have to take that opportunity to leave. Why wasn’t Dipper more careful.

“Damn it!” Dipper growled, slamming his fist down on the wooden step. Just then, his phone began to buzz in his pocket. He was so relieved that Mabel was calling him back, he didn’t even think twice before answering.

“Mabel thank god––”

“Dipper Pines? I think I have something of yours that you’d find pretty important,” the speaker purred, clearly pleased with themselves.

“Dipper, help!” Bill screamed from the other end of the line. Dipper removed the phone from his cheek, realizing the caller ID was not Mabel at all. He quickly pressed his ear to the phone once more and shook his head.

“And how do I know this isn’t some elaborate setup and that you two aren’t working together,” Dipper grumbled, not believing the situation at all. This couldn’t have been a coincidence.

“I figured you’d say something like that,” the other person purred. On the other end, Dipper could hear only what he could describe as the scream that would haunt his nightmares for the rest of his life. It was inhuman. It was the worst thing he would ever hear for the rest of his life.

“Dipper…” groaned Bill from the other end of the line, now sounding much more worn out than previously.

“Bill? Bill! I’m coming,” he screamed through the phone, eyebrows furrowed and heart racing. He’d said the words without even thinking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i figured if i was going to give a backstory to why soos named mason after dipper, i was going to have to do it now. i hoped you guys enjoyed it. i wanna give you guys a schedule as to when i'll post a chapter, but i feel like if i do that.. i'll let you down. my goal is to post at least sometime during the weekend (basically anytime saturday-monday). also ! if you wanna follow my tumblr to chat or anything, please don't hesitate to do so! send me an im and let's be friends i would adore that! it's ofladybugs.tumblr.com ! sorry for the long note ah.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dipper you idiot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fair warning, this chapter gets a bit graphic. scroll to the end if you'd just like to read the summary.

Dipper navigated his way to the location given to him by the unknown person on the other end of the call. He turned into a sandy lot, occupied by a tall, abandoned building. Windows were broken and bricks had cracked and fallen loose. In his earlier years, Dipper may have been spooked by the building before him. Now, approaching the uneven steps, Dipper felt uneasy. He felt like he was making a terrible choice walking into the building with minimal precaution. All he harbored was a demon killing knife and his own two fists that, though much less weak than when he was a young boy, were not enough to protect himself fully. He took a deep breath as he pushed through the curtain of plastic that served as a door. His surroundings were dark. He could hardly tell where the building ended. Before he could adjust to the darkness, something pulled him aside and out of the light of the makeshift doorway. A hand came up to cover Dipper’s mouth and, survival instincts kicking in, Dipper pulled his blade out and slashed the arm holding his mouth shut. 

“Ouch. You fucking idiot I’m trying to help you,” Bill spat bitterly. Dipper turned to face him, eyes now adjusted to the dark. Dipper hadn’t cut the male terribly, but he still was bleeding enough to eventually become a problem. Dipper cursed under his breath and Bill put a finger over his mouth to shush him.

“You can’t go back out the front door. He’ll see you. You have to make your way to the back. There’s a sort of crawl space,” Bill whispered.

“Wait. What the fuck? You’re okay? How did you get out? Bill, what is going on?” Dipper asked, brows furrowed as he tried to piece things together.

“I’ll explain once we get out of here. We don’t have much time before he realizes I’m not trapped anymore,” Bill urged, pushing Dipper forward. Dipper fell on to his palms, glaring up at Bill before crawling to the back of the building. He was halfway there when a large industrial light flicked on, blinding him for a moment. He reached a hand up to shield his eyes without thinking. A figure moved forward and grabbed the wrist he held up and pinned it against the wall behind him. Dipper threw a panicked glance up at Bill to find a maniacal grin painted across his features. Dipper started to panic, looking up at the figure pinning him and reaching back for his knife. He patted around for it to find that it was missing, now looking wide-eyed up at what he found to be a shadow figure cuffing him to the wall behind him. 

“Looking for this?” Bill inquired, dangling the demon knife by his fingertips.

“Fuck you,” Dipper spat. He couldn’t believe he’d come after someone who’d betrayed him.

“Thanks for tipping me off about it, Pine Tree. You’ve been a massive help,” he cooed, smirking. Dipper pulled against his restraints angrily. This was all his fault. His own damn fault. He should have listened to Mabel. He should have told him where he was going at the very least. No one knew he was here. No one was going to come save him. His demon knife was gone and his fists were all chained up. Nothing was going to save him.

“You’ve been quite the nuisance, Dipper Pines,” the shadow finger growled, reaching forward to positions Dipper’s face to look at him. Dipper bared his teeth at the demon, lashing out and kicking his feet. 

“Quite feisty. Bill said you’d be this way. I can’t believe the fool who hunts demons came to trust one. How ironic. I’d say this was enough revenge, but it’s not. An eye for an eye, Dipper Pines. I want your heart in a tiny glass jar. I’ll put it on my shelf and show all my demon friends. They’ll all worship me. Best of all, it’ll be a reminder of the blissful end of you,” he laughed, tossing his shadow head back. 

“Fuck the both of you,” Dipper screamed, body burning with rage. Hatred for the blonde demon coursed through his veins and he lashed out once more, kicking at the shadow figure. Dipper’s foot went straight through the shadow figure’s leg before popping back out. Dipper looked wide eyed at what’d just happened. He’d never seen something like this figure before. 

“Nice try. I’m not that easy. I can touch you, but you can’t touch me. Quite the riddle, isn’t it?” the shadow chuckled before turning to walk away. Dipper didn’t waste time trying to figure out where he was going. Instead he turned to Bill.

“You set me up,” he spit venomously. Bill merely smirked at the other.

“You piece of shit,” Dipper growled, thrashing against the restraints.

“Oh, Pine Tree. I’m almost sorry I have to do this,” Bill hummed. His words didn’t match his expression, as he seemed utterly thrilled to be having to do whatever ‘this’ was. The shadow figure came back with various weapons made specifically for demons. He laid them out before Dipper, humming softly.

“An eye for an eye. Everything you’ve done to my kind, I will do to you,” the shadow chuckled evilly. Bill moved over, picking up a salt gun. None of the weapons, apart from the knife, would kill Dipper. Rather, they would severely hurt him. That was most likely the goal. Bill aimed and Dipper shut his eyes, looking away. Bill misfired, hitting the spot just beside Dipper’s hip. 

“Give me that. Incompetent fool,” the shadow yelled, grabbing the gun from Bill and catching him in the leg. Dipper cried out, gripping his leg in pain. It didn’t break skin, but Dipper knew it would cause a big red welt. The salt didn’t help. 

The shadow man continued to inflict pain onto Dipper. For the most part, Dipper didn’t sustain any serious injuries, as nothing could cause him the same amount of pain as it did to demons. The shadow man grew tired of Dipper’s lack of intense pain and drew the demon killing knife, still coated in Bill’s blood. 

“This will be fun,” the shadow man murmured, stepping slowly towards Dipper. He pressed the tip of the knife just beneath Dipper’s chin, guiding his face upwards to inspect his eyes.

“The fear in his eyes is intoxicating, isn’t it Bill Cipher?” the shadow man inquired. Instead of waiting for a reply, the dark figure moved the knife to Dipper’s arm. He pressed the blade into his skin, gliding it across his skin. Crimson trailed the metal blade and mixed with Bill’s blood. Dipper cried out in pain and looked away, blinking tears away. The figure moved the blade up to Dipper’s cheek, slowly slashing open the skin there. Dipper whimpered, growing dizzier. Whether it was the sight of blood or the pain being inflicted, he couldn’t tell. The figure then pressed the blade against Dipper’s neck.

“Prepare to meet your sorry end, Dipper Pines,” he muttered. Then, everything went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> for those of you who didn't want to read but wanted a summary: dipper goes to save bill and ends up getting betrayed. he is held captive and tortured and with a blade pressed to his neck 'everything goes black'.
> 
> thank you so much for reading. all comments are appreciated. i normally reply to them (as long as my dumb ass remembers). thank you all for supporting ilysm. sorry this one is so short. again college is a mess. i would rather put thought into something and have it be short than just spit something out and have it be lengthy with no effort.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dipper is alive. Don't you worry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i just wanna warn you that there are slight mentions of blood and wounds in this chapter, but it is extremely minimal in terms of going into detail.

Dipper’s eyes fluttered open, vision blurry and head swimming. He felt an ache on the left side of his head, just above his ear. He reached up to touch it, flinching in pain as his hands came back sticky with blood. He groaned as his head began to pound, looking at his surroundings. 

Car. 

Front seat.

Someone else was driving.

Dipper looked at the driver out of the corner of his eye, trying not to bring attention to himself. He caught a glimpse of blonde and suddenly he was bubbling with rage. 

“Don’t even think about it, Pine Tree. The doors stay locked in this car and you will make a complete fool of yourself attempting to escape,” Bill murmured from his seat. Dipper growled, his fists clenched and his nails digging into the inside of his palms.

“Damn it, Bill. I’m gonna fucking––” 

“I’m not your enemy, Pine Tree,” Bill commented, his voice unreasonably tranquil.

“The past several hours would suggest otherwise,” Dipper retorted, his voice beginning to raise. The more he got angry, the more his head throbbed and caused him to grow weak.

“Except for the part that you weren’t conscious for. Long story short I saved your life,” Bill muttered, hands gripping the steering wheel.

“Last I checked, you were the one that lead me to danger!” Dipper protested.

“Look, he found me and he  _ did _ hurt me. The pain that you heard on the phone was real. He had no idea that I was even living with you until––” he stopped short, biting his lesser lip.

“Until what, Bill?” Dipper urged, still angry.

“Until I asked him if he was torturing me because I was spending time with you,” Bill admitted.

“So  _ you _ gave me away,” he spat, crossing his arms over his chest.

“How was I supposed to know he would ally with me in order to get to you?” Bill inquired.

“So you  _ did _ ally with him?” Dipper accused. 

“No. Damn it Dipper. I told him I would work with him so that he would let me go. Neither you or myself would be of any use if we were chained up, would we?” Bill offered, taking his eyes off the road to glare at Dipper.

“I guess not, but––”

“Look, I tried to lead you out of the building. When he caught us, I had to play a part. I misfired when he told me to shoot you and I think you’re smart enough to figure out that, as a half demon with magical powers, it’d be pretty hard for me to misfire,” Bill explained, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel. His story checked out. Dipper had no reason not to believe the blonde simply for the fact that Dipper was not dead, nor was he trapped back in the abandoned building with the shadow man. Still, the brunette was wary to trust the demon. After all, Dipper and Bill weren’t exactly on good terms previous to Bill taking physical form.

“So then how did you get us out?” Dipper inquired. 

“Well...first I knocked you out with a piece of scrap metal,” Bill admitted, the words rushing from his lips as if they could go undetected. 

“You  _ what _ ?” Dipper gasped, reaching up to the left side of his head once more.

“And then I poured holy water over the torturer and when he dropped the knife I stabbed him with it,” Bill continued, ignoring Dipper’s words.

“I still don’t understand why you had to knock me out,” Dipper explained, throwing his arms up in the air in anger.

“Would you have come with me of your own free will?” Bill inquired. Dipper was quiet for a moment, turning his head to look out the window with his arms crossed in anger.

“No,” he finally muttered.

“Exactly,” Bill finished.

“So...he’s dead now? Just like that?” Dipper inquired.

“I’d think you’d be the last person to be sympathetic about it,” Bill commented.

“I’m not sympathetic, I just...thought it’d be harder,” he shrugged.

“A demon killing knife does it’s job Dipper. It wasn’t easy. The whole thing was spur of the moment, that’s probably why he didn’t see it coming. I took my opportunity the minute it occured to me that I could. I couldn’t plan anything ahead of time. It had to be quick and it had to be without second thought,” Bill explained. 

“Why did you save me, Bill? Why didn’t you just trade me in and leave me behind?” Dipper inquired, shaking his head. He couldn’t help but suspect that the demon must’ve harbored a hidden agenda. Bill had never been selfless before, why would it change now?

“I dunno. Human stuff I guess. If I wasn’t in this wet lump of flesh maybe I wouldn’t have. All I know is, thinking about leaving you behind makes me feel empty. Not like when I’m hungry. It’s different,” Bill explained. Dipper felt his breath catch at the demon’s words and shook his head. He looked out the window, deciding against replying. 

Guilt. Dipper was sure that was what Bill had been feeling. Nothing but selfish guilt. But did guilt really cause a feeling of emptiness? Dipper groaned out of frustration and hid his face in his hands.

“You alright, Pine Tree?” Bill inquired.

“Headache,” Dipper mumbled, resting his forehead against the window. He wasn’t totally lying, his head was absolutely pounding so much so that his eyes began to hurt. He still had a queue of questions to ask Bill, but he couldn’t bring himself to speak. Where were they going? How did Bill get a car? More importantly, how did he learn to drive? Bill reached over and placed his hand on Dipper’s knee.

“Hang in there kid. When we get home, I’ll fix you up,” Bill promised. Home. Dipper rolled the thought around in his head. His own bed. He hadn’t even been gone for more than a day and he ached to be in a place of familiarity. Maybe that’s what happened when near death was experienced. Bill pulled up to the Mystery Shack and Dipper turned to face him.

“Will you unlock my door please?” he inquired, reaching for the handle.

“It’s been unlocked this whole time. You just chose to believe me about it being locked. I wonder what that says about you,” Bill hummed before exiting the vehicle. Dipper sat, dumbfounded at the new information. He pushed open the door to find that it was, in fact, unlocked. He had just trusted Bill’s words without a second thought. He was really beginning to shock himself.

***

Dipper inhaled sharply as Bill dabbed at the side of his head with a damp towel. “Don’t you have special healing powers or something? There has got to be an easier way,” he whimpered.

“Quit your whining. This isn’t that bad. Besides, last time I offered to use my magic you preferred the human way,” Bill retorted. 

“Oh it isn’t that bad? Why don’t we switch places then?” Dipper challenged. Bill halted his wound clean-up and glared at Dipper. The towel engulfed in blue flame and Bill placed his hand over Dipper’s wound. Dipper watched his hand ignite once more with blue and he was struck with the most intense pain he could think up. He was just about to cry out in pain, but it vanished just as soon as it had appeared, leaving no trace whatsoever.

“There. All better,” Bill deadpanned, walking away. Dipper reached up to touch where the injury had been, fingers tangling through dry locks of hair. There was no trace of what had once been.

“W-What…?” he stuttered, furrowing his brows. 

“Now you know why I preferred the human way,” Bill spoke, still walking away from Dipper.

“Why are you acting so somber all of a sudden?” Dipper inquired, leaning forward. Bill stopped in his tracks and lingered in the doorway for a moment before turning his head to the side, still not looking directly at Dipper.

“I lost your trust,” Bill admitted before slipping out of the room. Dipper stared at the space that he had just occupied. He was left speechless. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey, i dunno if i said this in the last chapter, but if you guys end up following me on tumblr, don't hesitate to send me a message. i'd love to chat/follow you back! and as always, comments & your support are so highly appreciated.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A moment in which they both care too much and call it 'friendship' and a dream that leads Dipper to a hefty amount of confusion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uh ! hi here's a smol bit of fluff.

Dipper stayed put for a while, still completely caught off guard by everything that had occured in the past several hours. He was especially shocked by Bill’s recent showcase of emotions. It was strange and he analyzed and overanalyzed everything at least a billion times before deciding he was too exhausted. He rose from his seat and made his way into his room. He was surprised to see Bill sitting cross-legged atop what Dipper would now consider Bill’s bed. Dipper hesitated a moment before stepping quietly over to the bed. Bill had been watching out of the window and only noticed Dipper’s presence as he began to climb in the bed next to him. 

The bed dipped with Dipper’s weight. He mirrored Bill’s actions, crossing his legs and pressing his back against the wall. His side was pressed up against Bill’s due to the lack of space on the bed. He felt his knee brush up against Bill’s and he quickly pulled his knees to his chest and hugged them. He looked over at Bill who was already watching Dipper cautiously. 

“You’re not going to yell at me?” Bill inquired, his words gentle. He didn’t want to ask in fear of Dipper realizing that he, in fact,  _ did _ come up to yell at the blonde.

“No,” Dipper responded, voice as quiet as Bill’s. The residential portion of the Mystery Shack was empty, Stan working and Stanford underneath the shack. It felt as though they were the only two that existed in the world.

“Okay,” Bill whispered, pressing his shoulder into Dipper’s.

“Bill? Why did you save me?” Dipper asked. Bill furrowed his brows, shaking his head softly.

“Dipper, I already told you. I––”

“No. Bill. I know you’re not stupid. Why did you save me?” Dipper urged. Bill swallowed thickly. He hesitated before opening his mouth to answer.

“I––” he stopped, swallowing once more. He shook his head and looked away.

“Bill?” Dipper inquired, reaching forward to place his hand on Bill’s shoulder.

“I don’t want to live in a world where you don’t exist,” Bill admitted, voice cracking ever so slightly. Dipper gasped quietly. It was far from the answer he was expecting. Dipper’s hand dropped from Bill’s shoulder and he now turned to face the demon. 

“What?” he breathed, eyebrows furrowed.

“I hate being human,” Bill whimpered, hiding his face in his hands. Dipper’s arms came to wrap around Bill’s body from behind. He rested his chin on the male’s shoulder. 

“Bill, it’s okay. That’s what having a friend is like. You care about someone and you don’t like the idea of the absence of them,” Dipper explained, attempting to comfort the demon. It was strange to say the least, but the demon  _ did _ save Dipper’s life. At this point, Dipper was tired of being suspicious. He was officially giving in.

“Humans feel  _ this _ strongly about friends?” Bill inquired, turning now to face Dipper again. The brunette shrugged.

“It depends. Some friends more than others. Seeing as we’ve already been through so much together, it’s not unlikely,” Dipper shrugged, reaching up to wipe away Bill’s tears with the pads of his thumbs. Bill breathed out shakily.

“So do all humans become this emotional at the drop of a hat?” Bill inquired, laughing softly.

“Considering you’re probably sleep deprived and very much fatigued, among other things, I’d say this is normal,” Dipper nodded with a laugh. With that, Bill yawned and nodded. 

“I could use some sleep,” he admitted.

“Me too,” Dipper agreed, flopping back onto Bill’s bed.

“You could sleep next to me if you’d like. It might make you feel safer. I have special demon powers that can ward off bad guys,” Bill chuckled, half-serious. Dipper nodded, sitting up.

“I think it’d be good for both of us. Make us both feel safe and less alone,” he admitted. He also didn’t think he could make the three step journey to his bed. He crawled under Bill’s sheets, the blonde following behind. They kept as much distance as possible, but Dipper could still feel the warmth of Bill’s back pressed up against his own. It only momentarily distracted him before he let exhaustion overcome him and he knocked right out, drifting into the deepest sleep he’d ever had. 

***

_ Dipper was running through the forest. He didn’t know why, but he knew he wanted to run. He wasn’t afraid, but he was aware of the fact that someone––or something––was chasing him. He was barefoot, feeling the cool grass under his toes. The forest was abnormally green and beautiful, flowers blooming left and right. He was laughing. His hair was pushed back by the wind in his face and he was just about to make it to a bed of water when he felt a pair of arms swirling around him and tackling him to the floor. Though he hit the ground with force, he didn’t feel anything. He was laughing uncontrollably, clutching his stomach in attempt to catch his breath. He turned so he was lying on his back in the grass, looking up into golden eyes. His eyes scanned over the blissful smile and soft blonde locks of Bill Cipher. He reached up and cupped the male’s cheek, panting softly and smiling from ear to ear. _

_ “Gotchya, Pine Tree,” Bill purred with a soft laugh. _

_ “So you did. Now what will you do?” Dipper teased, playing with a strand of Bill’s hair. Bill didn’t speak, instead leaning forward. His arms were still wound around Dipper’s body, one holding his waist and the other lifting the back of his head. Bill pressed his lips to Dipper’s and the brunette hummed happily, kissing back softly. Their legs tangled together as Dipper’s fingers laced through Bill’s golden locks. Bill pulled away slowly, still pecking at Dipper’s lips even as he moved away from them. _

_ “Dipper Pines, you are absolutely incredible,” Bill hummed, brushing his nose against Dipper’s. Dipper reached out and grazed his hands over Bill’s scar, the one that seemed as though it went right through his eye.  _

_ “Is there a story behind this?” Dipper inquired curiously. He couldn’t keep his hands off Bill, doing whatever he could do feel every inch of Bill’s features. _

_ “One far too long for today, Pine Tree,” Bill nodded, leaning forward to kiss the corner of Dipper’s mouth lovingly. Dipper pouted up at Bill, all too curious to let it slide. _

_ “Why? Don’t we have all day?” Dipper whined. _

_ “Not quite. If only…” Bill hummed, biting his lesser lip. _

It was then that the dream began to fade out, Dipper’s eyes fluttering open as the sunlight flooded into the room, brightening it. The first thing Dipper saw was Bill’s long lashes, blinking open gently just as Dipper’s had. Dipper then became painfully aware that his hands were resting atop Bill’s chest and Bill’s arm was swung loosely around Dipper’s waist. He shifted away quickly before Bill could notice, face flushing deep crimson. It must’ve been just a silly accident. 

“Morning,” Bill mumbled, stretching out and yawning.

“How’d you sleep?” Dipper inquired.

“Wonderfully. I had the most pleasant dream,” he hummed.

“Yeah? Mine was pretty funny I think. You were chasing me or something. I can’t remember––” Dipper stopped speaking as the rest of the dream dawned on him. His eyes grew wide and he looked away. Bill looked at him with furrowed brows.

“That’s… exactly how my dream started,” he stated curiously.

“Oh? What a coincidence,” Dipper muttered nervously.

“I tackled you, didn’t I?” Bill inquired. Dipper’s silence was all the answer Bill needed. Bill began to chuckle softly, now discovering that they’d had identical dreams.

“I didn’t think you could still enter and manipulate people’s dreams in physical form,” Dipper grumbled, hiding his face shyly.

“I didn’t either. When I go into dreams, I have to physically enter them, body and all. That wasn’t so hard when I was a demon and didn’t exactly have to try to hard to skip through the mindscape. Now that I’m physically human, I can’t enter people’s dreams like this. I’m physically out here, how can I be physically in there?” Bill explained, tapping Dipper’s head at the last part.

“Bill? Why did you manipulate the dream to be that way?” Dipper inquired.

“I dunno, Pine Tree. Why did you kiss me back?” Bill smirked, nudging him softly. Dipper hid his face in his hands.

“This means nothing. It was just a dream,” he insisted, sitting up. He climbed out of bed and grabbed Bill’s wrist, pulling him along with him. 

“Woah! If you want me so bad, Pine Tree, all you have to do is ask,” Bill teased.

“Bill, shut up. We’re going to see Stanford,” Dipper remarked, pulling Bill downstairs. He tugged the blonde into Ford’s workspace. Ford looked up from his work and sighed softly.

“No, I haven’t found anything yet––” he started.

“Bill was in my dream!” Dipper grumbled.

“Okay? And…?” Ford questioned.

“He entered it. He manipulated it! He used demon powers on me!” Dipper urged.

“Right. So did this dream threaten your safety?” Ford inquired.

“No, but––”

“Was it a nightmare?”

“No, but––”

“Then it’s not my problem. This is between you two,” Ford explained.

“But he doesn’t even know how it was possible! I’d say that’s pretty concerning. Please look into it!” Dipper whined. Ford gave a heavy sigh and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

“Fine. I’ll look into it. I should have an answer by tomorrow. Now go upstairs and go make food or something. I have work to do,” Ford sighed. Dipper could tell the Bill situation was stressing him out. Ford didn’t need Bill looming around the house reminding him of all the shit he went through. Dipper obliged quickly, pulling Bill out of the room. He led the blonde into the kitchen and huffed.

“I really don’t know why you take me with you to see that man. I’m never involved in the conversation,” Bill muttered, slumping into a chair. 

“Bill?”

“Hm?”

“Why did you have that dream?” he asked once more.

“Why did you enjoy it?” he countered.

“I did not!” Dipper objected.

“Oh? And that’s why you were snuggling with me this morning?” Bill chuckled.

“I was not!”

“Oh, Pine Tree. Just admit I’m a terribly wonderful kisser,” Bill cooed.

“I’m making pancakes. You will not mention this dream to anyone. It means nothing and we’re forgetting about it, alright?”

“So you don’t want to hear the story about the scar then?”

“Bill!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you guys for all the love & comments you've left me. i wanna remind you that it's very very appreciated. i love all of you so so much you have no idea


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dipper says too much and Bill gets hurt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey pals! sorry i'm technically uploading this on a tuesday. i'm doing my best i promise. i hope you like it.

Bill was devouring the pancakes while Dipper merely played with the slice he’d cut several minutes ago. As if he didn’t already have a lot on his mind, now the whole dream thing was eating at him. He reluctantly placed the slice of pancake into his mouth and sighed. Bill halted his eating to look up at Dipper.

“Dipper, don’t you think you’re being a little over dramatic?” Bill mumbled, pushing a hand through his hair. Dipper shrugged, looking out of the window beside him.

“You’ve never had feelings for anyone, have you?” Dipper inquired, furrowing his eyebrows.

“No. I didn’t really have an equivalent of human emotions up until––well, now I guess,” he shrugged, resuming his consumption of pancakes. 

“Then you have no idea how confusing this is. Nor do you have any clue how afraid I am,” he explained, shaking his head as he stared off into space.

“Do these feelings put you in danger?” Bill inquired, furrowing his eyebrows.

“No. I mean––maybe. Bill you wouldn’t understand,” Dipper let out a frustrated growl. Bill stopped eating and pushed the plate away from him.

“Maybe if you explained things to me instead of assuming I’m not capable of understanding, we would get somewhere with this,” Bill protested, mood seeming to drop. Dipper glared at the blonde before deciding against getting angry. Bill was right and Dipper was merely allowing his confused state to make him irritable.

“Look, I dunno if that dream was just a dream. Sometimes you have weird dreams you know? And you just kind of go along with them because your mind nudges you along with them,” he explained.

“But this wasn’t your mind. It was mine. Mine didn’t nudge you along to do anything,” Bill shrugged plainly. 

“We don’t know that! We don’t know anything,” Dipper protested.

“I’m still failing to see what the problem is here, Pine Tree. You like me and I––”

“I don’t like you! Who said I like you? Why would I like you, Bill? You’re a demon,” Dipper snapped, waving his arms around in frustration. Bill remained silent, picking his plate up and throwing the minimal amount of what was left on his plate, into the trash. He ran the water over his plate and scrubbed the syrup off. Dipper buried his face in his hands and groaned harder.

“Bill––” Dipper started, but Bill had already walked out of the room. Dipper wanted to rip his hair out and scream. Things were frustrating enough without Bill being angry at him, now he’d gone and insulted the blonde. Anyone would’ve been hurt after being told they were unlikeable. Dipper got up from his chair in a swift movement, the legs of the chair scraping against the floor noisily. He pushed the door to the Mystery Shack open and stepped outside with his fingers tangled through his brown locks. He didn’t want to drive, but he knew there was no other way to reach Mabel, so he reluctantly climbed into his car. At this time of day, Mabel would be in her apartment working on something. She wasn’t too far away, so it wouldn’t take long for Dipper to get there. When Dipper arrived, it wasn’t hard for him to get into the building. He came around so often he knew nearly everyone’s face and they knew his. Though neither party communicated, they didn’t mind holding the door open for him as they had seen him frequently enough. He made his way up to Mabel’s floor and knocked on her door quickly. It took her awhile to open the door as she was probably annoyed at being stopped in the middle of her work, but the minute their eyes met the annoyance turned into surprise. Before it could turn into anger, Dipper began to speak.

“Mabel, I know you’re mad and I’m sorry. Things have been really crazy, you’ve got to believe me. I tried calling I––”

“I know. I watched it go to voicemail,” she deadpanned. She wasn’t angry, just hurt.

“Look, I know I did you wrong, but you’ve got to believe me. This whole situation is tenfold more messed up than it seems,” he explained. Mabel let out a defeated sigh and gestured Dipper inside. Dipper hurried in before she changed her mind.

“I know you’d never do something like that if it wasn’t serious,” she admitted with a nod, sitting on the arm of her couch. Dipper took a seat on the cushion next to her. She looked down at him, ready to lend an ear. Dipper fell back against the couch when he realized what he wanted to tell her after he apologized. He buried his face in his hands and groaned once more.

“Mabel, you’re never going to believe me. Oh, god I can’t believe this is happening to me,” Dipper whined, squeezing his eyes shut.

“Spit it out, Dip,” she urged.

“I-I had a dream. And Bill was in it. A-And he had the same dream. We both dreamt the same thing. I don’t know how, but we did. Oh, fucking hell this is insane,” he huffed, digging the heels of his hands into his forehead. 

“A dream…? Dipper I don’t think––”

“Mabel we kissed. We kissed in the fucking dream. He kissed me and I kissed him back and now I can’t stop thinking about what it would feel like in real life. What the fuck am I going to do?” he whined, shaking his head. It was silent for a moment and Dipper almost thought Mabel wasn’t going to say anything. He felt like crying and was about to keep talking to stop himself from doing so when Mabel spoke up.

“Dipper, I would simply like to know how you get yourself into these situations,” she laughed, shaking her head. He groaned and tossed his head back, staring up at the ceiling. 

“It’s not funny, Mabel!” he protested.

“It is  _ kind of _ funny,” she countered.

“Fine. It’s a little bit funny if you’re not me, but I am me and I need help,” he pouted, looking over at her.

“Dipper, you can’t...like a demon,” she spoke, scrunching up her nose.

“I thought so too, but evidently I’m willing to prove myself wrong,” he mumbled, rolling his eyes.

“I’m going to assume you already know how dangerous this is,” Mabel replied, raising a brow at him.

“Yes and I don’t need to be lectured on it. I need to do something productive with this information. I’m getting quite exhausted of being reminded of how dangerous Bill is,” he admitted, his voice full of defeat.

“Well then, I think you should think this through as if he isn’t Bill Cipher. That may be the worst advice I’ll ever give, but picture it as him merely being someone you met while you were out and about,” Mabel explained. Dipper pictured it. He imagined himself with more courage in this world, slipping next to the blonde in a booth at the pizza place and smiling. He’d notice the way the male’s lashes were so dark and long despite the fact that his hair was a beautiful shade of gold. He’d not the ring on the males finger and remember how much he loved big rings on men. He’d strike up a conversation and quickly fall for the blonde’s sarcastic humor. If Bill wasn’t Bill, it’d be so damn easy to fall for him. This caused Dipper to bury his face in his hands again, letting out the loudest and most frustrated groan he’d managed all day.

“I was afraid you’d say that,” Mabel sighed, shaking her head.

“Mabel, I don’t know what to do,” he sighed, his lower lip wobbling. He began to cry out of frustration among other built up emotions from the past week or so.

“Dipper, I don’t think there’s anything you can do. I think you need to roll with it. It pains me to say this, but if it’s the advice that leads you to happiness, then I’ll say it. Do whatever it is that you want most,” Mabel insisted. Dipper shook his head.

“Easier said than done. What would Stan think? And Ford? And if things went well, how would I introduce him to people? Would I lie to everyone? Fuck’s sake Soos thinks he’s my  _ cousin _ . That’s awful!” he rambled, shaking his head.

“Everyone who loves you will just have to understand. You introduce him as Bill. Friends who know are close enough to you to accept it. To everyone else, he’s just Bill. Stop worrying about all that stuff before you even figure out your emotions. Now I think it’s best for both of us if you go now and face this head-on. You need to stop procrastinating and I need to get back to work. I love you and we can talk later okay?” she explained. He nodded.

“Love you too,” he smiled, getting up from the couch. He knew she was right. If he didn’t go now, he’d keep avoiding it until it was too late. He made the trek back to the Mystery Shack, taking his sweet time and still ending up back home fairly quickly. For once, he was completely annoyed about it. He stepped inside and made his way upstairs to try and find Bill. He was seated atop his bed, reading a book Dipper had left on his bedside table. Bill’s blue eyes met Dipper’s before he sighed, getting up from his spot and pushing past Dipper. He relocated himself elsewhere and Dipper’s nervous smile had transformed into a frown. Bill was  _ really _ mad at him. A little space wasn’t all he needed to get over it. Dipper shut the door behind him and slumped into his bed. 

“Okay, Dipper. No more sulking. Time to think up a good apology. You need to face this,” he sighed, rolling off the bed. He got up and trudged down the steps and into the living room area. At this, Bill immediately got up from the couch and started to move back in the direction of their room, still clutching the book.

“Bill––” Dipper started, but was cut off by his own ‘oof’ as Bill bumped into him angrily. Dipper sighed softly. So communication wasn’t going to work in that very moment. Maybe Bill just needed more time. Dipper busied himself with everything he could, getting some journaling done and even trying to catch up on some research. It’d been difficult to work while dealing with Bill. It wasn’t as fun though, considering this time he was only doing it to distract himself. He hated that Bill was hurt, but he knew he needed to give it time. It was the only thing he could do. He had to wait until Bill blew off some steam. 

After a while, the journaling and research wasn’t helping. He checked the time and noticed it was about time for dinner, so he got up and started to make food. He took his time, making something he knew was fairly thoughtless and would take a few steps to accomplish. He made lasagna. He cooked with his thoughts preoccupied by the blonde demon sitting in his room. He burned his fingers on the pot boiling the pasta twice before he could even try to focus on cooking. When the timer for the oven finally dinged, two hours had passed since he’d started cooking. Most of it was spent doing everything in an agonizingly slow manner. He got up to get the dish out, serving two plates. He set his down on the kitchen table and brought the other one to their room. He knocked on the door quietly before pushing it open.

“Before you storm out again, I’m just here to offer dinner. I’ll leave you alone,” he assured, setting the plate down on the bedside table before turning to leave. He was hoping Bill would stop him, but all he heard was the shuffle of a book closing and a plate being picked up. Dipper sighed and closed the door behind him, sitting at the kitchen table and finishing his lasagna in silence. He ate alone, mind preoccupied with a plethora of thoughts. Once he finished the food, he decided the only way to stop thinking so much would be to sleep. He got ready for bed and slipped into their room, fully expecting Bill to storm out once more when he realized Dipper was ready to sleep. To his surprise, Bill had beaten Dipper to the punch, lying fast asleep in bed with the lights off. Dipper sighed softly before climbing into his own bed, pulling the covers up to his chin. He pouted over at Bill’s silhouette before closing his eyes in attempts to sleep. This merely resulted in tossing and turning, his mind refusing to shut off. He couldn’t stop thinking about everything. His feelings, how mad Bill was, what everyone would think, would he have another dream? It all swirled in his mind and he decided he couldn’t take it any longer. He shoved his sheets off him and padded over to Bill’s bed, pulling the covers up gently and slipping under them. He was sacrificing his complete embarrassment for his sleep. He was snuggling up to the blonde when he realized that Bill hadn’t been asleep at all.

“I’m mad at you,” he murmured, eyes fluttering open as he looked down at Dipper, his eyes much softer than they’d been before. 

“I know, but we can pretend like you’re not for now,” he insisted, pouting up at the male.

“You’re gonna kill me one day, Pine Tree,” Bill sighed.

“Is that a yes?” Dipper inquired. Bill replied by kissing his forehead gently.

“So, you can’t like me because I’m a demon huh?” Bill smirked.

“Confused boys say stupid things. Can you make another one of those dreams?” he smirked.

“What does this mean for us, Dipper?” Bill inquired.

“Let’s find out, Bill. Let’s find the fuck out.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry it got kinda slow at some points. i'm doing my best i swear. always remember i love you guys sm for your support. thank you for reading.


	11. also not an actual chapter!! im sorry

hello friends !! i know it has been a very very long time since i have updated, but as i mentioned last time a lot is going on in my life and i do not want to give you guys sloppy content. if i'm ever abandoning this story, i promise i will let you guys know. i will be updating soon as i'm probably going to end up with a lot of time on my hands as soon as all of this insanity comes to an end. thank you guys for supporting this story, you guys have no idea how much i appreciate it. i am determined to finish this story and i will do it, i swear on that.


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